This Is My Affair

1937
Approved
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, and Victor McLaglen in This Is My Affair (1937)

Navy Lt. Richard Perry becomes an undercover man out to discover the leaders of a group of well connected men who pull off bank robberies during the McKinley administration (early 20th centu... Read allNavy Lt. Richard Perry becomes an undercover man out to discover the leaders of a group of well connected men who pull off bank robberies during the McKinley administration (early 20th century).Navy Lt. Richard Perry becomes an undercover man out to discover the leaders of a group of well connected men who pull off bank robberies during the McKinley administration (early 20th century).

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

704

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Trivia
This film was made and released before Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor were married. In the oversized, 22-page press book that the studio had prepared for the exhibitors, there were constant references to and blurb lines describing Stanwyck and Taylor as "real-life sweethearts" or "real-life heart interests", etc., stills captions particularly, typical 1930s selling points to be used in the advertising. However, somewhere between the planning and the execution, something went amiss, and the pressbook had an 8x10 snipe pasted on page three with specific instructions: Dated May 26, 1937, and addressed to Exhibitors as IMPORTANT NOTICE. It read: "Delete the phrase "real-life sweethearts" and any similar phase, or any stunts or copy along the same line from all advertising or publicity on THIS IS MY AFFAIR. In utilizing any of the press book materials you will please correct the copy, eliminating the words "real-life sweethearts." Please note that this applies to everything in the press book, publicity copy, ads, exploitation, stunts, etc. Your cooperation will be appreciated." (signed) Charles E. McCarthy-Advertising Manager

Crazy credits
The opening credits list the names in picture frames with subtle tree silhouettes in the background.

Connections
Referenced in Biography: Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line (1997)

Soundtracks
I Hum a Waltz
(1937) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Mack Gordon
Music by Harry Revel
Played during the opening and end credits and in the score often
Sung by Barbara Stanwyck at the Capital Cafe
Reprised a cappella a bit by Robert Taylor
Reprised again by Stanwyck with Don Craig, Bill Days, Homer Gayne and Arthur McCullough

User reviews14

Review

Featured review

7/10

John Carradine and Lon Chaney, part 1

1937's "This is My Affair" is remembered as the only costarring effort for lovebirds Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck (they wed in 1939), a diverting espionage tale if a tad overlong (working titles included "Living Dangerously," "Private Enemy," "The McKinley Case," "The Turn of the Century," and even "My Affair"). Taylor's Richard Perry is asked by President William McKinley to work undercover infiltrating a tricky band of bank robbers led by Batiste Duryea (Brian Donlevy), who miraculously avoid leaving any clues behind for the Secret Service. Perry allows himself to be charged for murder to get on the good side of prankster Jock Ramsey (Victor McLaglen), but his activities are frowned upon by pretty chanteuse Lil Duryea (Barbara Stanwyck), younger sister of mastermind Batiste. A terrific cast buoys this one considerably, with John Carradine in for one extended sequence as Ed, unassuming pigeon for Ramsey's tricks, and an unbilled Lon Chaney spotted as an FBI agent at the 72 minute mark, with a single line in a Baltimore bank: "this one's dead as a mackerel!" By an ironic twist of fate, Chaney and Carradine would both go on to enjoy parallel careers in the horror genre, here cast in the same film for the very first time, 12 more to follow until 1967's "Hillbillys in a Haunted House."